Jakarta. State-owned bank BNI in partnership with the Indonesia Diaspora Network (IDN Global) reaffirmed their support for Indonesians living abroad.

BNI’s ways of empowering the Indonesian diaspora include providing financing. The bank reported that its BNI Xpora program had reached Rp 28.8 trillion (approximately $1.8 billion) in financing as of June 2023. This includes diaspora loans which aim to integrate products made by Indonesian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to go global.

According to BNI’s head of international banking and financial institutions Rima Cahyani, there are currently over 7 million Indonesians living abroad across 65 countries. Indonesian diasporas have also played a huge role by integrating Indonesia’s economy with the world. Rima said BNI -- as a bank that seeks to become a global Indonesian bank and a partner for the country’s diaspora -- vowed to strengthen the diaspora’s network and capability.

“We would like to extend our utmost appreciation to the Indonesian diaspora who has contributed to our country,” Rima was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

BNI-IDN Global’s partnership already dates back to 2022 during which the two inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Rima said this was the right step to help empower Indonesian MSMEs by harnessing the diaspora’s networks.

“We will continue to look for areas of cooperation with the diaspora community. We believe there are many areas that we can work together on in the future. BNI has international networks, among others, in New York and Osaka. We will continue to support the development of the Indonesian diaspora across the globe,” Rima said.